Balanced diet and healthy lifestyle is a necessity for all, whether suffering from diabetes or not, experts say.
German researchers say, a good diet followed by good exercise besides healthy lifestyle habits are not restricted for diabetics only, but they should be stringently followed by the general public.
Dr. Diewertje Sluik of the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke in Nuthetal, Germany, and colleagues used data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, 6,384 with diabetes and 258,911 without known diabetes.
Computer modeling was used to explore the relationship in both those with and without diabetes of mortality with the following risk factors: body-mass index, waist/height ratio, 26 food groups, alcohol consumption, leisure-time physical activity and smoking.
During the study, the researchers found overall mortality was 62 percent higher in people with diabetes compared to those without it. However, eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, pasta, poultry and vegetable oil was linked to a lower mortality risk. The study also showed that the eating of butter and margarine was related to an increased mortality risk.
According to the researchers, the intake of some food groups is more beneficial - fruits legumes, nuts, seeds, pasta, poultry, vegetable oil - or more detrimental food such as soft drinks, butter, margarine, cake, cookies with respect to mortality risk in people with diabetes.
The study indicated that a healthy diet benefited diabetic people more but recommendations for a healthy diet should be similar for people with or without diabetes., researchers suggested.
The study was published in Diabetologia.
